


Don't Go For Your Best Friend's Partner

by charlesdk



Series: Tumblr Fics [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, Tumblr Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 21:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5065390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlesdk/pseuds/charlesdk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles falls in love with Lydia's new boyfriend. Or so he thinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Go For Your Best Friend's Partner

The thing about Lydia Martin was that when she was dating someone and wasn’t ready to introduce whoever it was, she would cancel their skype hang outs and she would be texting furiously during the skype hang outs they actually did have, only paying half attention to him.

So when Lydia started texting in the middle of a skype hang out on a Saturday afternoon, Stiles knew something was up.

A week passed by where Stiles didn’t say anything, didn’t comment on the fact that Lydia was only half paying attention to him. But then when he heard the door open and close to Lydia’s dorm room and he saw someone quickly walk past the screen, he couldn’t help himself any longer.

“Hey, Lyds, who’s the guy?” He shifted and made himself comfortable on his own bed, his eyes fixed on the screen and a grin on his face. He was more than ready to hear about whoever had gotten Lydia Martin’s attention.

“Hm?” Lydia lifted her gaze from her phone, then to off screen and then back at Stiles. “Oh, that’s Derek,” she said like it was no big deal.

Stiles waited. And waited. Waited for an explanation but it didn’t look like Lydia was going to give him one. “Well, are you gonna introduce me or what?”

Lydia gave him a look, then shrugged. “Fine, I’ll introduce you. Derek, come here.” She shifted to the right to make room on the screen for an extra person, a grin forming on her lips. “Stiles wants to say hello.”

There was some movement somewhere in the background of Lydia’s side, and then another person appeared. A man.

A really, really hot guy. Shit.

Now listen… Lydia had great taste in her partners, Stiles would gladly admit that. But never once in their entire friendship history had Stiles been attracted to any of her partners. Not once.

So when _Derek_ appeared on the screen - black hair that looked incredibly soft even on a computer screen, stubble that Stiles wouldn’t mind getting stubble burn everywhere from, kind green eyes smiling at him - and Stiles found his heart pounding, he could only think **shit**.

He was attracted to Lydia’s boyfriend. He was attracted to his best friend’s boyfriend.

This was not good.

Derek stared back at him and there was a couple seconds of silence before he spoke, his voice nowhere near as gruff and softer than Stiles would have expected. “So you’re the famous Stiles.”

Stiles quickly found his voice and nodded. “Uh huh, yup. Wait, famous?” He looked over at where Lydia was grinning widely at him. “Please tell me you didn’t tell him or anyone else about the paint thing.”

Derek laughed and oh god, what a beautiful laugh. “No, she didn’t. But now I definitely want to hear that story.”

They talked for hours and they clicked almost immediately. Clicked annoyingly quick.

Stiles tried not to like the guy, tried not to approve of him with his whole being, but it wasn’t easy when they got along so well. It didn’t help that Lydia was more interested in her phone than the two of them.

And it only went downhill from then.

*

They would skype more frequently after that. Although more often than not, it would be Derek and Stiles talking, while Lydia was off to the side studying or texting, letting them be background noise to her.

Over the course of only just a few weeks, Stiles learned a lot more about Derek than he thought he would - that he thought he wanted to. He learned that Derek was majoring in history and he listened to him talk passionately about history for a good two hours. It was cute. He learned that family was important to Derek and that he had a huge family. Both parents, three sisters, two brothers. He was even close to his aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. But especially close to his big sister, Laura.

He learned that Derek’s favorite band was the Black Keys and that he hadn’t gotten the chance to see them live yet but would love to. He learned that Derek’s relationship history was heavy and not something he liked to talk about. He quickly changed the subject when it was brought up, a sad look in his eyes. Stiles didn’t ask.

He learned that when Derek talked about someone or something he loved or cared about, his eyes would go soft and he would smile.

He learned that Derek Hale was a beautiful man in every way.

And Stiles was so screwed.

By the time Stiles and Lydia’s monthly get together rolled around (it was Stiles’ turn to drive up to Lydia) it wasn’t much of a surprise that Derek would be around her.

Much to Stiles’ suffering because he was staring to develop a crush on the guy.

His best friend’s boyfriend, he had to keep reminding himself of.

So he decided that he would use all his energy to focus on everything that made Derek a horrible person, so he could get these feelings out of the way and let Lydia be happy with Derek. And so Lydia would still be Stiles’ best friend because she was amazing and he didn’t want to lose her just because Stiles couldn’t control himself around guys like Derek.

Stiles was taking two steps at a time while shooting off a text to let Lydia know he would be knocking on her door any second. The door swung open before he could even raise a hand and suddenly he had an armful of a red haired genius.

He hugged her tightly back, a wide smile on his face. They may talk a lot but nothing compared to being in the presence of Lydia Martin. She was his best friend - next to Scott, of course, but he was more of a brother - and he had missed her. They hugged for a minute or two, before they parted to finally look at each other, matching wide smiles.

“You look pale,” Lydia commented, patting Stiles’ cheeks as she studied him.

He snorted in return. “That’s what happens when you spend all your time in either your dorm room, a classroom or the library.”

“Maybe you should get a social life.”

“Why would I need a social life when I’ve got you?”

Lydia rolled her eyes and shoved at him. “Maybe,” she took a step back, “because we only see each other once a month. And on a screen doesn’t count.”

It was only when Lydia turned around to head back into her dorm room that Stiles noticed him.

Derek.

Leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed and a soft smile on his lips as he watched the two reunite.

A computer screen really did no justice to how beautiful of a man Derek Hale was. If Stiles thought he was beautiful before, he was absolutely floored now. Hating this guy would be really tough, Stiles had a feeling it would be.

Stiles cleared his throat, squared his shoulders and stepped forward, a hand reached out to Derek and a serious look on his face. As serious as he could get without making heart eyes at Lydia’s boyfriend. “Nice to meet you, Derek. In person, that is.”

Derek gave him a weird look, his damn gorgeous eyebrows - and who in real life had gorgeous eyebrows? - crawling up his forehead. “You too. Safe trip up here?”

Stiles wanted to give a sarcastic response, but he bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from it and went into Lydia’s dorm room, making sure there was a lot of distance between him and Derek as he passed him. “Yup, completely safe.”

Lydia gave him a look and Stiles avoided it as much as he could. He didn’t want to be questioned and accidentally confess that he had feelings for her boyfriend. He didn’t need friendship drama with the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.

Platonically, of course.

They talked for hours, caught up. Stiles did his best to keep all his focus on Lydia and tried to ignore Derek. Even when Derek tried to get his attention or asked him a question. Stiles would give a short and quick answer and then focus back on Lydia.

She was the reason he was there, after all.

*

Around 4 PM, they decided to get dinner, all of them hungry and Stiles’ stomach growling. He hadn’t had anything but breakfast which was about 6 hours ago.

They went to a diner a quick 10 minute walking distance from Lydia’s dorm room and ate. And talked.

And then Lydia went to the bathroom and Stiles and Derek were left alone.

Stiles’ heart was pounding in his chest the second Lydia stood up and announced that she was going to the bathroom. He didn’t want to be left alone with her boyfriend, having to once again remind himself that Derek was Lydia’s boyfriend and not someone he was allowed to flirt with or be attracted to in any way. He hated himself for even thinking that, despite doing his absolute best to repress any and all thoughts of Derek in any way.

He had done so well with pretending to not be interested for the past 5 hours, he wasn’t going to break now. Not when he still had the entire weekend left to pretend.

With a heavy sigh, Stiles settled back into his seat and slowly turned his attention to Derek. Derek who was smiling so warmly at him, his chin in his hand and looked so god damn beautiful.

Stiles wanted to hook his foot around Derek’s ankle under the table. He wanted to reach over and take a hold of Derek’s hand. He wanted to just sit and pretend they were on a date for a second.

But he couldn’t. It was bad enough he was secretly attracted and slowly falling for his best friend’s boyfriend, so he wasn’t even going to think about it.

He was going to forget about it, do his best to hate Derek and hope Lydia would dump the guy one day, just so he wouldn’t feel guilty about his desires and so he wouldn’t have to be around Derek anymore. It wasn’t exactly easy avoiding your best friend’s partner.

“So.” Stiles hadn’t realize they had been silently staring at each other for a full minute, until Derek broke the silence and shifted in his seat, his green eyes still glued to him. “You and Lydia got anything planned for the weekend get-together?”

Stiles shrugged and looked anywhere but at Derek. His attention came to rest at a group of students taking pictures of their food. “Just do whatever we feel like, I guess.”

He could feel Derek’s eyes boring into his skull, trying to get his attention back to him. Stiles refused to give in to the temptation. “Well, would you mind if I tagged along maybe Sunday? I’ve got a history paper to finish, but I can finish that tomorrow.”

Stiles wanted to be rude and say no. Instead, he shrugged again and looked at the bathroom door, praying Lydia would walk out of there soon. “Sure, if Lydia’s okay with it.”

And like she had heard his prayer, Lydia exited the bathroom and headed straight back to their table, a smile on her face at Stiles’ eyes on her. She always walked like she owned the world and Stiles admired her for that.

With Lydia there, it was much less awkward to be seated at that table. Much less silent because Stiles refused to talk to Derek, even when Derek tried to engage him in conversation.

They ate, they talked and they stayed at the diner way past dinner time, so they decided to call their lunch their dinner, and then went home late, after the sun had already gone down and the moon was up.

They parted ways with Derek on the way back to Lydia’s dorm room and after Derek was finally out of sight, Stiles felt like he could breathe again. He let out a heavy sigh and Lydia gave him a look but didn’t ask.

Stiles and Lydia spend the rest of the night talking, watching a few movies and falling asleep leaning against each other somewhere around 2 AM.

*

The rest of the weekend went by in a flash. Derek joined them just an hour before Stiles had to leave, only to come say goodbye. Stiles left with a long and nearly bone crushing hug from Lydia and a quick handshake from Derek - even though he really wanted to leave with a long hug and Derek’s scent lingering in his nostrils for days after he returned home.

He drove off before he could make the mistake of doing exactly that.

Lydia and Stiles kept their usual skype dates. Whenever Derek decided to join on Lydia’s side, Stiles did his best to suddenly get busy with homework, hoping Derek would take a hint and stop being so goddamn perfect in every way.

Two weeks after Stiles had gone to visit Lydia, Derek stopped joining in on the skype dates.

Stiles wanted to ask. He wanted to know if Derek was okay, if something happened. But he never did and Lydia never told him.

Well, he managed to keep himself from asking for 8 days, that was.

“Hey Lyds?” Stiles closed his chemistry book and looked at the screen where Lydia was texting on her phone.

“Yeah, what’s up?” She didn’t put her phone down but she didn’t pay it attention when it pinged, a new message arriving.

Stiles shifted, hesitant about asking. “What happened to Derek?”

Lydia looked at him for a second, then off screen for a bit longer, and then back to him, shrugging. “He’s still around. He just figured that after you were so cold toward him ever since you met him in person, he wouldn’t be joining in on our skype hang outs anymore. Which, honestly Stiles, was kind of a dick move.”

Stiles sighed and lifted his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t like him.”

Lydia lifted a brow at him, obviously not believing him. “Oh really? Because here I thought you actually really liked him.”

And Stiles, the idiot he would always be, couldn’t stop himself from blurting the truth. “I do, that’s the problem!”

Shit.

*

When Stiles’ request for a skype call popped up on her screen, Lydia immediately looked over at Derek who was studying at her desk while she was on her bed texting. “Stiles is calling. Want me to decline or do you want to leave?”

Derek lifted his gaze from his book, his face dropping for a moment. “You can accept the call. Pretend I’m not here.”

“Missing his voice, huh?” Derek responded with a nod and returned to his book, so Lydia let it go and accept the call.

The call went well. They didn’t talk much - Lydia busy texting, Stiles busy studying - but then Stiles brought up Derek and Lydia couldn’t help getting a bit mad.

Despite Derek shaking his head at her and mouthing “let it go”.

She didn’t. Refused to.

“Oh really?” She lifted a brow at her computer screen where Stiles was doing anything but looked back at her. “Because here I thought you actually really liked him.”

And without missing a beat, Stiles blurted those words. “I do, that’s the problem!”

Lydia lifted her brows, Derek stared over at her and the laptop with his mouth gaping, and Stiles flushed and slammed his head on his desk, the sound making it very clearly through Lydia’s computer.

Stiles muttered to himself, the words “fucking idiot” being picked up by the microphone.

Lydia shared a look of confusion with Derek, before she said Stiles’ name to get his attention. When he finally looked up, she asked: “Why is that a problem?”

Stiles shifted awkwardly and looked off to the side. “So, how’re those new shoes working out for you?”

Lydia sighed. “Stiles, don’t change the subject. Why’s it a problem that you like Derek?”

Stiles bit his lip, said nothing for a while. But then he sighed and leaned back on his desk chair, looking down at his hands. “Because I hate myself for liking him. For liking him too much and finding him fucking beautiful. Lydia..” He looked at her, looking more upset than he was when they parted to go to different colleges. “Lydia, I’m not supposed to fall in love with my best friend’s boyfriend. I may be a shit person sometimes, but I’m not-”

Lydia laughed loudly before he could finish his sentence. She laughed and laughed, her laptop bouncing slightly when her bed did and the camera shaking and making it blurry.

“Stiles,” she started once she calmed down a little, wiping at her eyes carefully. “Stiles, Derek and I are not dating.”

Stiles stared back at her, confused and with his mouth hanging open. “But… he was always around? And you’ve been texting someone like crazy! You always do that when you’re with someone! And I just figured, since Derek was always there, it would be him.”

“If Derek was always around, why would I be texting him? Seems kind of stupid to be texting someone if they’re right next to me.”

“Oh.” It looked like it finally clicked for Stiles. “Wait, then who have you been texting? And why haven’t you told me about them?”

“His name is Jackson. He’s a law major with a sports scholarship and very good looking. I didn’t tell you about him because it’s nothing official. Yet.”

“Oh.” Stiles went silent for only a second. “So is Derek single?”

Lydia looked over at Derek, Derek who was still staring at the laptop with his mouth open and the tip of his ears slightly pink. She grinned and nodded. “Oh yes, he’s single. And very much into you, if you didn’t know.”

“Do you think he’ll forgive me and let me ask him out on a date?”

“I think you should ask him that yourself.” Lydia grabbed her laptop and handed it over to Derek, who didn’t hesitate to take it.

Lydia heard Stiles saying “Lydia, you asshole,” before she tuned them out and went back to texting Jackson.

*

A week later, Derek drove to California to have his date with Stiles. He ended up staying there the whole weekend.

And Lydia made it official with Jackson. Both Stiles and Derek disapproved of him until they saw how happy Jackson made her and how she had him wrapped around her little finger.

When Stiles drove up to visit Lydia a month later, he spend the nights in Derek’s dorm room instead of hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my [tumblr](http://hoechlbutt.tumblr.com/), come say hi!


End file.
